Hang in there, little kitten!

I don’t remember exactly when or where I got my “Hang in there!” kitten poster, but for years it sat tacked up on my bedroom wall right next to a head shot of Andy Gibb, until my brother tore it down in an act of retaliation sometime in the mid-80s.

As a kid, I sometimes pondered the fate of this seemingly selfless kitten. How had he (she?) gotten into such a predicament and also managed to become the poster cat for lifting spirits and spreading global optimism all while dangling precariously from a tiny tree limb? How would it end? True, the inspirational message was aimed at saving us, but who would save the cat?

As the story goes, a copy of the poster was presented to Spiro Agnew by 100 of his supporters in Congress when he was under pressure to resign in 1973. It seems that Obama could now also use a few of these strategically placed about the Oval Office.

Although there have been numerous imitators over the years — raccoons, chimpanzees, frogs, teddy bears have all attempted to win us over with their cheeriest and cutest expressions — the kitten version has always reigned supreme. Who knew theses things would one day be selling for exorbitant prices on eBay? (Hoarders, check your closets.) What are the equivalent “cute” animal posters of today’s youth?